Monday, September 12, 2011

Harvest Moon September 12th

Oh, Shine on, shine on harvest moon, way up in the sky;
I ain't had no lovin' since April, January, June or July.
Snow time ain't no time to stay outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon, for me and my gal.

This year, the legendary Harvest Moon comes early. The Harvest Moon is the Full Moon which falls nearest the date of the Autumn Equinox. It is also known as the Barley or Hunter's Moon, but these names were reserved only for those years in which the Harvest Moon is very late in September. The Harvest Moon is one of the most celebrated Moons of the year, even today.

September is the month when the main harvest is taken in, and stocking up for the cold season is the main activity of this month. The wild rice harvest was important to the Minnesota Chippewa; hence, they called this the Rice Moon.The Cherokee called it the Nut Moon, and theChoctaw knew it as the Little Chestnut Moon. The Shawnee called this the Pawpaw Moon.

In China, celebration of the Harvest Moon Festival is associated with the romantic legend of Chang’O, the Moon Goddess of Immortality. According to the story, there was a time, long, long ago, when ten suns circled the earth,each one shining for it's own allotted time. Then one day something happened, and all ten shone at once, searing the earth with their heat.The earth was saved when a tyrannical archer named Hou Yi shot down nine of the ten suns, and for this, he was rewarded with magic immortality potion.

One day, while Hou Yi was out, Chang-O happened upon the potion and drank it. Immediately, her body became lighter, and she transformed into a fairy, and as she ran out into the night, she found herself floating upwards, to the stars. Finally, she came to rest on the Moon and found herself trapped there, never to return. Hou Yi was heartbroken and pleaded with the gods to let him visit his wife.

And so it is that once a year, the gods grant Hou Yi the right to ascend to the heavens to be with his wife. And this is why, on that one night, the night of the Harvest Moon, the Moon shines the brightest and fullest of the year, as it reflects Hou Yi's love for Chang-O.

About Me

The past March I turned 70, official a crone. I was born in the beautiful countryside, but have been living in the city for 30 odd years now. As a want-to-be be hippie, I first lived in Greenwich Village, then moved to Queens, and eventually here I am in Brooklyn, yearning to go home. I've spent much of my life in search of a path that I could feel comfortable with. It wasn't until I began working on my family tree that I discovered my Celtic background as well as ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Germany, and France. Why I've a touch of Dutch and Native American in my blood. I have studied with the New Order of Druids.
I am also an ordained Interfaith minister and a victim advocate. I'm also an astrologer, have worked with numerology, enjoy mythology, psychology, sociology. On July 12th 2013 I retired from my job as a substance abuse counselor after 51 years of work. Now it is time for me, and I am enjoying every moment of it.